In a 2019 paper published in the International & Comparative Law Quarterly, international law scholars Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou and Donal K Coffey described Russia as showing "persistent and clear disregard of the values and aims of the CoE",[1] including occupying other member states, sponsoring separatist movements, and ignoring judgements of the European Court of Human Rights.

After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, on 16 March 2022 the Committee of Ministers voted to expel Russia from the Council with immediate effect.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, President Boris Yeltsin worked for the Russian Federation to join the Council of Europe.

In 1994, a commission appointed by PACE determined that Russia was unfit for membership, citing deficits in Russia's legal order, especially in the areas of "constitutional rights, freedom of movement, national minorities, political and religious freedoms, the death penalty, military conscripts, secret surveillance, and places of detention".

[4] PACE suspended Russia's membership application later that year in response to the First Chechen War, citing "the indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force by the Russian military", which it declared to be contrary to the Council of Europe's values.

[1] Initially there was great optimism, and Russia changed several laws to bring them into compliance with Council of Europe requirements, at least on paper.

[1] The Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities formulated its opinion on Russia's second periodic report.

[10] The idea of condemning the crimes of totalitarian regimes at the international level was presented back in 2003 at the Council of Europe by René van der Linden (Netherlands), who later became the Chairman of PACE.

In September 2005, Göran Lindblad (Sweden) presented a revised report on "The need for the international community to condemn the crimes of communism" to the PACE political commission.

In parallel, work began on reports condemning the Franco regime in Spain and on the danger of a revival of the ideology of Nazism (presented by Mikhail Margelov).

[1][11][12] In a 2019 paper, international law scholars Kanstantsin Dzehtsiarou and Donal K Coffey cited Russia as one of the Council of Europe member states that show "persistent and clear disregard of the values and aims of the CoE".

[1] Dzehtsiarou and Coffey concluded that ECtHR judgements are not effective in bringing about structural change if there is no political will to implement them in the member state.

[21] On 15 March, hours before a vote on its expulsion, Russia filed a notice of voluntary withdrawal from the Council of Europe; its membership was due to terminate on 31 December 2022.